Hat-box



No. 6I2,642. Patented Det. I8, |898. f M. A ETSELL. HAT' BOX. (Application mea oet. 11, 1897.) (No Model.)

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UNTTED TATns FnTnNT MARY A. FTSELL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINN SOTA.

HAT-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,642, dated October` 18, 1898.

Application tiled October l1, 1897. Serial No. 654,900. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARY A. ErsnLL, of theY city of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, and State of Minnesota, have invented a certain new and Improved Hat-Box, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates Ato receptacles for hats, particularly ladies hats; and the object of the invention is to provide a box containing a rack upon which a number of hats may be placed one above the other, each hat being supported independently of the others to prevent the weight of those in lthe upper part of the box from crushing or otherwise damaging those beneath, the slide or bar of the rack constituting a brace for the wall of the receptacle.

A further objectis to provide a hatbox having a removable rack to permit access Yto hats at the lower end of the rack without disturbing those above and to permit all the hats to be removed simultaneously from the box to be dusted or exhibited when the device is used in millinery or gents7 furnishing stores. The invention consists generally in a box having a removable rack arranged therein, said rack comprising an upright slide, which serves as a brace for the walls of the box, and a series of brackets or hooks thereon and means for supporting said rack in an upright position and permitting the removal thereof, and, further, the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a hatbox embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the interior wall of the box, showing the vertical guides. Fig. ft is a view of the removable rack. Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the hooks or brackets, and Fig. 6 is a` partial sectional view on the line o@ of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, 2 represents the box, made, preferably, of pasteboard and substantially cylindrical in form, having'a cover 3, which fits down closely over the open end ofthe box to exclude dust and dirt therefrom.`

I have shown the box made sufficiently deep to accommodate a series of three hooks to support as many hats placed one above the other in the box; but, if desired, the box may be made deeper to accommodate a larger number.

Upon the inner wall of the box I provide the strips or plates 4, preferably of pasteboard, secured in a vertical position to the inner Wall by pasting or in any other suitable manner and having their adjacent longitudinal edges turned outwardly to form the vertical flanges or guides 5, between which the rack is vertically slidable. This rack comprises a bar or slide 6, substantially triangular incross-section, arranged to slide freely between the `guides 5 and provided upon its inner surface with a series of hooks or brackets 7 each having a downwardlysturned loop at one end to receive the screws S, by means of which the bracket is secured to the slide G and upwardly turned at its free end and provided with a horizontal loop 9 to support the crown of a hat and hold the same in a horizontal position. The hooks or brackets 7 are arranged at intervals on the slide `6, and there are as many of them as there are hats to be placed in the box. t As each hat is supported on the frames or brackets independently of the others it is obvious that by removing the rack from the'box a hat may be taken oft the rack without handling the others, and when the box is used in millinery or gents furnishing stores the hats may be exhibited or dusted without being handled, and those at the bottom of the box will be in no danger of being crushed or damaged by the weight of those above.

` Near the end of the slide 6, as shown in Fig. 4, I provide a notch or recess IO to permit the slide to be easily grasped by the iingers of the operator and removed from the box. Instead of having a notch in the slide itself I may provide a knob or button thereon for the same purpose. The slide also constitutes a bracefor the wallof the box or receptac'le.

By making a box of sufficient diameter I may arrange several slides within the box, so that a large number of hats may be placed therein and protected from dust until such time as they are needed. While I prefer to use the form oi' guides shown herein on IOO account of its cheapness, I do not confine myself to this eXact construction, as any device which would retain the slide in an upright position and at the same time permit it t-o be moved freely up and down in the box would be applicable for the purpose.

I claim-- l. The hat-box comprising` a receptacle having` its Walls formed of light material and provided with a vertical slide to brace the same, and a bracket extended from said slide and adapted t-o be inserted and removed from the box with the slide, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The hat-box comprising a receptacle having` its Walls formed of light material, a vertical slide to brace the Wall, and a series of brackets arranged upon said slide one above the other and at such distances apart that a hat may be placed on each bracket and removed therefrom Without disturbing the other hats either above or below it, said slide and brackets being removable together from the receptacle, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my handV this 27th day of September, A. D.

MARY A. ETSELL. In presence of C. G. IIAWLEY, RICHARD PAUL. 

